Page 69 of Bullet

I sighed, plopping down next to my bag on the couch. “For now. I promise I'll be out of your hair in a week or so. I just need to find a decent apartment.”

She waved me off. “Don't worry about it. You can crash here for as long as you need.”

I gave her a soft smile. “Thanks. You're a great friend.”

“Besides, I kinda like having you in my bed,” she teased.

I knew she was trying to lighten the mood, so I forced a laugh.

“Hear from your dad or Ford?” Nina asked as she sat next to me.

“Pretty sure I’m dead to my dad now. And Ford has been calling and texting me, but I haven’t responded.”

“Are you going to?” Nina asked.

I cradled my head in my hands and groaned. “I don’t know. One of his men almost killed my brother. How could I forgive that?”

“But he didn’t pull the trigger. You said he didn’t know about it.”

I scoffed. “But how could he not? He’s the president. He gives the orders.”

Nina pursed her lips, pausing for a moment. “Do you think your dad knows what all his men are doing all the time?”

I blinked a few times, thrown off by her question. “I don’t know.”

My friend draped her arm around me. “Why don’t you talk to Ford and hear him out? Maybe he really didn’t know.”

I let out another sigh. “You really think so?”

Nina shrugged. “I think it’s worth a conversation.”

I thought about her words, then nodded. “Okay. I’ll talk to him.”

Nina smiled, squeezing my shoulders. “Good.”

After taking a shower, I debated what to say in my text to Ford. Gnawing on my bottom lip, I typed out and deleted my message several times before finally sending it.

Me:I’m sorry. Can we meet and talk?

I didn’t expect him to reply right away, if at all. I went about my day, getting ready for work and pretending not to care whether Ford responded even though I did.

Even though I’d basically attacked him and accused him of lying, he’d protected and defended me when my dad had pulled a gun on us. Instead of thanking him, I’d left him with my enraged father, who could’ve killed him. I was so blinded by anger that I wouldn’t listen to him, and I felt like shit for how I’d acted that night.

I just hoped he would give me the chance I didn’t give him.

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